2015-09-13

Surviving London - Day Two

Good afternoon! Matthew here. Most of you are reading this from the Midwestern part of the U.S., so that greeting is more than likely appropriate. It's about 10 p.m. here, and we've just about called it a night. Here is a rundown of the day's activities. Please excuse the brevity and any typographical errors you encounter - these fingers are tired!
We had an overnight flight to Reykjavik, Iceland that spanned to 6 a.m. this morning, then another (much shorter flight) this morning before arriving in London at about 11:30 a.m.

Our good friend Sleep didn't visit us quite enough during the overnight flight, so it made the last leg and our first London activity a bit difficult to get motivated for ... and has definitely contributed to our current state of being too tired to complete sentences, and having eyes that seem to trick us into closing them.
All of that being said, our first day - really only half a day - turned our to be pretty great!
The first thing we did was grab a data SIM for the iPad that we brought along (for maps and such), then made our way to our hotel, Hotel Makedonia. This was a part of the trip I was particularly excited about, as it involved riding London's Underground Metrorail system - dubbed "The Tube" or "The Underground" by those familiar with it. The Tube did not disappoint and I couldn't help but smile idiotically every time I heard the phrase "Mind the Gap" - or heard anyone speak with a British accent, for that matter. I'm quite sure we were immediately pegged as tourists upon boarding - but that's okay ... we have the rest of the trip to blend in with the natives. :)
Due to some timing issues at the airport (aka 'Matthew having no idea what he is doing'), we were forced to skip our planned meal at Wagamama in Heathrow's Terminal 5, and decided to just wait to eat later at Zizzi in Southbank. I am very proud of my wife, because she out-ordered me! I was more that surprised to see her order something that contained tomatoes, onions, garlic and mushrooms: Pappardelle Pollo Funghi. I'm ashamed to say I stuck with a staple Italian dish, Strozzapretti Pesto Rosso. We would have posted pictures of the plated dishes - but we were much too hungry to pause for that amount of time. Here is a photo of the view, though!

After supper, we headed to our first event, a Whovian Walking Tour - which was nothing short of awesome! The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about all things related to (and some things not related to) Doctor Who. We were guided through the Doctor's London - including many different filming locations, all while being pumped full of information regarding the TV series and the people who made it possible.
So, to summarize things, here are the things we have learned while abroad:

A one-hour layover is not long enough.

IcelandAir is awesome.

Food is important.

London will not slow down because you don't know how to navigate the airport.

Sleep deprivation always wins in the end.

With emphasis on that last point, I bid you a good night!

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." - Samuel Johnson

Be sure to check out our photos (including ones not posted to Facebook) and other updates, by going to http://CL3VER.life/ and clicking on "Photos: Surviving London" to the right of the page!